 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Sport 300 Front Blip
The Sport 300 is the pinnacle of the early Stevens shape. Before the Vauxhall influence is seen with the spoilers and skirts becoming more curve the Sport 300 was as top of the add-ons tree. With extended wheel arches, wraparound rear wing and deep front blip giving the Sport 300 the looks to go with it's undoubted performance.
This page is designed to show owners of Steven's shaped Esprits (pre 1993) how to add a deeper Sport 300 front blip to their front spoilers. Giving a meaner, more aggressive front end look and also reducing lift, improving handling slightly.
The Sport 300 front blip is available from SJ Sportscars for around £65. A replacement of the original SE rubber is £80!
Installation
This is a small job that's made more difficult due to rusted fixings. 2-3 hours (ish).
| Parts supplied by: |
 |
|
You will need the following parts: Sport
300 front blip rubber |
You will need the following tools: pliers |
The rubber arrives over length and without any fixing holes. First thing to do is to remove the old rubber. This is fixed by 30 screws, washers and flat speaker fixings, although with most Esprits 10-15 years old, they could have been replaced by anything. You should have easy access to the fixing with the front end on axle stands. 2 of my 30 screws rounded off, so were drimelled out. This could add quite a bit of time to your installation. So I would spray all the fixings with WD40 2 days before to try and help loosen everything.
Once the old rubber blip is off, you can see the big difference in size between the SE and S300 blip. Next clap the old rubber to the new one (I used 4 mole grips) to give you a guide to drilling the new holes. I drilled through the old one into the new one to make sure it fitted first time. You should now have a new front blip ready to fit.
Fitting the new blip shouldn't be too difficult with new screws and washers. Use larger washers in the corners, which will help pull the edges up and give a better finish. Once fully secured, you'll need to trim the excess rubber from one side. I used a Stanley knife, practising by cutting only a little off, before cutting to the right size. I did mine on the car to ensure the correct size. It could be done before fitting if you measure up carefully.
Sorry there's not more pictures. But I was fighting fading light and wanted it finished before the TV Documentary.
LEW's Verdict
I'm very pleased with the out come. Looks much more aggressive and gives the front end the Sport 300 look. Adding to the fact my front blip was looking a little worse for wear after 11 years of tackling sleeping policeman, it was a big improvement. Installation is a bit of a pain, but worth the results. For £70 it's a cheap modification to perform to improve both looks and aerodynamics.
This mod was performed by kato on his 1992 SE
If you have any comments, feel free to e-mail me with at admin@lotusespritworld.com
I used nylon screws and nuts when installing my SE Spoiler
on my '89 non-SE. I will use them again when I put the Sport 300 spoiler
on my Toyota Avalon. I found the nylon screws break when hitting a dip
in a driveway entrance. Better the screws breaking though than taking
off the facia or stress cracking it. Highly recommended, nylon screws.
Oh. SJS calls it a, "spoiler" not a blip.
Bob Kumse
|
